given up and new after this we've not given up and now after more than 400 days of struggle, a day of success have arrived. and there's relief in israel, as a timeline for the release of hostages is announced — in exchange for a prisoner swap for palestinians in israeli jails. welcome to newsday, i'm steve lai. we start we start in we start in the we start in the middle we start in the middle east. israel and hamas have finally agreed to a ceasefire deal which will come into effect on sunday. a permanent end to fighting will be negotiated if the first phase of the deal is successful. israel's prime minister benjamin netanyahu has tonight thanked president biden and donald trump for helping secure the deal. on october 7, 2023, hamas fighters stormed israeli communities —

killing about 1,200 people and taking more than 250 people captive. since then, the hamas—run health ministry in gaza says over 46,000 palestinians have been killed, and more than 110,000 people injured. displaced palestinians in gaza have been celebrating the idea of returning home — or to where their homes once stood. in israel, families of those taken hostage expressed relief their loves ones could be returned. since the agreement was announced, the authorities in gaza say at least 20 people have been killed in israeli strikes. here'sjoe biden announcing the terms of the deal. phase one will allow six weeks. it includes a full and complete ceasefire, withdrawal of israeli forces from all the populated areas of gaza, and, and the release of a number of hostages held by hamas including women and elderly and the wounded. in exchange, israel released hundreds of

palestinian prison .my palestinian prison . my palestinian prison .my palestinian prisoners and during stage one, the palestinians can also return to their neighbourhoods in all areas of gaza. 0ur international editor jeremy bowen reports on the deal and what it means for the region. in the streets of khan younis in gaza, overwhelming relief that they are alive, and hope, too, that the nightmare of this war might be over. translation: when they announced that there is a ceasefire, we felt happy and relieved. the pain has disappeared a bit, even though the pain is still present. but hopefully joy will overcome the pain. let our prisoners get freed and for the injured to get treated. people are exhausted. some weapons, some defiance were on show, but hamas is a shadow of what it was when it attacked israel on the seventh of october, 2023. and apart from survival, there isn't much to celebrate for palestinians in gaza. israel has killed almost

50,000 people at least. the territories are in ruins and well over 2 million have been forced out of their homes. —— the territory's in ruins. and in tel aviv, it is also a bittersweet moment for the families and supporters of israeli hostages, living and dead. 33 women, older men and the sick and wounded are due for release in the next six weeks in return for hundreds of palestinian detainees and prisoners. but the future of the rest of the hostages depends on more negotiations. we really hope that no one will mess it up. not in ourside, not in their side. and we really wait for this very, very needed thing to happen — for the war to stop, for the hostages to come home. israel's president said the ceasefire was right, important and necessary. translation: there is no greater moral, human, - jewish or israeli obligation than to bring our sons and daughters back to us, whether to recover at home or to be laid to rest.

the war started on the 7th of october, 2023, with a devastating series of surprise attacks by hamas. it was one of the worst intelligence and security failures in israel's history. a painful inquiry into who missed the signs it was coming, starting with the prime minister, lies ahead. 251 people were taken into gaza as hostages. hamas killed around 1,200, mostly israeli civilians, in their own homes. it took days to recover the bodies. israel responded by hammering gaza and its people, from then until today. it insists it respects the laws of war. it says hamas caused so many civilian casualties, wounded and dead, by using them as human shields. but israel's prime minister and former defence minister face arrest warrants for war crimes,

and the international court ofjustice is investigating a case accusing israel of genocide. in washington, president biden took credit for a diplomatic victory, celebrated america's support for israel, and said the war had transformed the middle east for the better. this has been time of real turmoil in the middle east, but as i prepare to leave office, ourfriends are strong, our enemies are weak, and there's genuine opportunities for a new future. in lebanon, there is an opportunity for a future free from the grip of hezbollah. in syria, a future free from the tyranny of assad. and for the palestinian people, a credible pathway to a state of their own. thank you.

reporter: who gets credit for this, mr president, - you ortrump? is that a joke? but donald trump's pressure on israel as well as hamas to seal the deal before his return to the white house next week might have made a decisive difference. joe biden put the pan on the table last may. with gaza in ruins, the point from the president that the palestinians have a path to their own state is wishful thinking. israel's government says security depends on military power, not allowing palestinian independence. after 15 months of war in gaza, the conflict which has lasted more than a century is as bitter and intractable as ever. with luck, the ceasefire will end this war, but it does not end the conflict. consequences of so much destruction and death will be felt for a generation at least. jeremy bowen, bbc news, jerusalem. i'm joined now by former us ambassador to israel and senior fellow at the harvard belfer centre, edward djerejian.

how difficult was this deal to get done, and what do you think was the main factor that got it across the line? the deal was very difficult to get done. it has been months in the making. as your commentary reported. it is very interesting. the deal is fundamentally the same with certain revisions than the plan the president biden put forward last may. so what brought it to this combination, i think, are two majorfactors. one is the fact that public opinion in israel has also shifted, finally, with the hostage — with the hostage release is becoming such a predominant issue in israeli internal politics and that, with that is the assessment of the israeli defence establishment, for months now, but there isn't

much more militarily that israel and the idf can do in gaza to suppress and denigrate hamas, including the decapitation of its leadership. so that is one factor. there is the political shifts within israel. the other factor is what one can call the trump effect. president—elect trump made it very, very clear that he did not want to inherit this crisis and he sent his embers industries with israel and co—ordinated with the outgoing biden administration to finalise this deal. i think i'm speculating now but i think you made it clear to netanyahu, look, just declare victory and do the ceasefire, get the hostage releases. i don't want this problem on my watch. and i think that had an effect. find

think that had an effect. and this deal does _ think that had an effect. and this deal does come - think that had an effect. and this deal does come in phases, as we understand it. does that point to how complex and how fragile it is?— fragile it is? yes, this deal is fragile- _ fragile it is? yes, this deal is fragile. it _ fragile it is? yes, this deal is fragile. it will _ fragile it is? yes, this deal is fragile. it will continue l fragile it is? yes, this deal| is fragile. it will continue to be fragile. hopefully it will culminate along the lines of the three stages that you reported on already but it is definitely fragile. and anything can really inaudible a final settlement. tomorrow the israeli cabinet will meet in order to vote on the deal. as you know there is opposition within netanyahu's coalition, within neta nyahu's coalition, from within netanyahu's coalition, from the far right. people like ben, who are totally opposed to this deal. but netanyahu does

have cover from some of the opposition parties as a safety net that he can probably agree to it and i think he will approve the deal with some dissonant voices.— dissonant voices. and in practical _ dissonant voices. and in practical terms - dissonant voices. and in practical terms on - dissonant voices. and in practical terms on the l dissonant voices. and in - practical terms on the ground, who will be there to ensure that both sides keep their ends of the bargain, if i can put it like that. because there are no international observers allowed. international observers allowed-— international observers allowed. . , allowed. that is a very good question — allowed. that is a very good question and _ allowed. that is a very good question and i _ allowed. that is a very good question and i don't - allowed. that is a very good question and i don't know. i allowed. that is a very good i question and i don't know. but there is supposed to be a committee including the united states and certain arab countries and maybe other parties, to oversee the implementation of the deal. arrangements have to be made, especially through the un, the humanitarian aid to start flowing in in meaningful numbers to address the calamity, the humanitarian crisis in gaza, but that is one

of the questions that is very relevant to the sustainability of the deal actually succeeding.- of the deal actually succeedinu. ., ., succeeding. you mentioned the trum - succeeding. you mentioned the trump effect — succeeding. you mentioned the trump effect that _ succeeding. you mentioned the trump effect that it _ succeeding. you mentioned the trump effect that it had - succeeding. you mentioned the trump effect that it had on - trump effect that it had on getting this deal across the line. he may have not wanted to inherit an ongoing conflict but the pieces of this conflict will still have to be picked up during his watch. how do you think he is going to be co—ordinating or administering or even, you know, the level of interest he is going to have in ensuring this ceasefire holds and that the palestinians are able to get more aid?- and that the palestinians are able to get more aid? that is a very significant _ able to get more aid? that is a very significant question - able to get more aid? that is a very significant question in - very significant question in terms that the trump administration is inheriting theissue, administration is inheriting the issue, the gaza ceasefire deal can and the situation on the ground that in no way does this solve the fundamental

problem of the israeli—palestinian conflict and for that to happen the trump administration is going to have to decide whether it is going to pursue a political solution orjust make solution or just make arrangements solution orjust make arrangements for virtually the status quo to continue on an uneven basis as a 57 years, in terms of the occupation of the palestinian territories by the israelis. now, one can speculate about trump and first team, in the deal of the century, you will recall, had a plan youngster abraham accords, plan youngster abra ham accords, there plan youngster abraham accords, there was a two state framework within his plan. . whether his administration is going to pick this up and try to do the deal of the century, and in terms of an israeli—palestinian peace settlement, has to be seen. that is going to be a huge

undertaking. but let's face it — there is no military solution to the israeli—palestinian conflict. when i was ambassador to israel then prime minister yitzhak rabin whose credentials in terms of security for israel, but it was made public there is no military solution. israel has to work for a political solution on the israeli—palestinian conflict. i hope that state grab will enter the steep —— enter the scene under the trump administration, the met —— that a major move will be made because the conditions on the ground, let me say this as we saw in the war in 1973 when israel was taken by surprise also, years later that led to late presidentjimmy carter brokering the israeli egyptian peace treaty. my intuition

tells me that the political landscape has shifted enough now in the middle east and in the israeli—palestinian conflict, in lebanon, in syria, vis—a—vis iran, at if statecraft and diplomacy is pursued, it could be a real possibility of brokering an israeli—palestinian agreement. new caveats. there has to be a leadership in the government in israel that has an interest and expressed interest, in a two state solution or negotiating a peace agreement with palestine and on the palestinian side there needs to be a reinvigorated leadership that can carry the ball in serious negotiations with the israelis. what i'm saying is that i think we're going to need elections, new elections in israel and new elections in palestine.- elections in palestine. yeah, it certainly — elections in palestine. yeah, it certainly is _ elections in palestine. yeah, it certainly is a _ elections in palestine. yeah, it certainly is a lot _ elections in palestine. yeah, it certainly is a lot of - elections in palestine. yeah, it certainly is a lot of road i it certainly is a lot of road left run on this. thanks very much, former us ambassador to

israel and seniorfellow much, former us ambassador to israel and senior fellow at the harvard belfer centre, edward jo durie and. this ceasefire deal between hamas and israel involved intermediaries like the us but also qatar and egypt. for more on this and what it means for the region, i'm joined by dania thafer, executive director of gulf international forum. tell us about about qatar's role in negotiating a ceasefire deal, and its influence in the region. thank you for having me. well, the ceasefire is extremely important. it is an extremely important. it is an extremely important breakthrough for the region as a whole because from the perspective of the gulf states, for example, or other regional countries, it is a linchpin issue that affects regional security and they see the israeli palestine issue is something related to affecting

security so it is an important breakthrough although the upcoming 42 days or actually that will be starting on sunday of the six week period is going to be extremely important and it is a very fragile and sensitive period to even sustain the ceasefire because the deal that is starting on sunday is not a permanent ceasefire. and so the stakes are high but it is certainly a positive breakthrough and viewed positively by the leaders in the region but also by the people of the region who have been witnessing all of this violence live on in social media are and in the media, frankly.

media are and in the media, frankl . , , frankly. yes, it is understandable l frankly. yes, it is i understandable that frankly. yes, it is - understandable that the neighbours in the region will be watching this carefully and also playing their part where they can. tell us how qatar and egypt have been involved in these negotiations as intermediaries? . these negotiations as intermediaries? ~ , intermediaries? , well, they are both _ intermediaries? , well, they are both very _ intermediaries? , well, they are both very important - are both very important intermediaries. egypt is a neighbouring country that borders with bowel —— that borders with bowel —— that borders with bowel —— that borders with gaza and qatar is a state that is embedded in their constitutions to have mediation as a core part of its foreign policy and its security and so engaging as intermediaries in one of the most important conflicts or a war is, globally, really showcases the soft power and importance of both players in

the region and, you know, from the region and, you know, from the qatari perspective, they have been involved in mediating after the afghanistan war and even the ukraine war and, but really, i 1535